Data glyph format

ABSTRACT

A data glyph and method, system, and computer program product for creating and reading the data glyph is provided. In one embodiment the data glyph is created by combining individual glyph elements, wherein each glyph element is selected from a list of glyph elements corresponding to one of each of the hexadecimal numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Each glyph element is made from darkening a unique subset of cells from an array of allowable cells.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to computer software and, moreparticularly, to generating and reading data glyphs and other twodimensional barcodes.

2. Description of Related Art

Data glyphs and barcodes are used extensively in industry for embeddinginformation within printed documents, soft documents, and on products.These glyphs and barcodes can be scanned to retrieve a variety ofinformation. For example, a document may be encoded with a data glyph orbarcode which, when read by a computer, identifies the location at whicha soft copy of the document may be retrieved, thereby allowing a user toretrieve and edit the document. Without the barcode or data glyph, thelocation at which a soft copy of a document is stored may be unknowablein an environment in which thousands of documents are created andstored.

Another area in which data glyphs and barcodes are utilized which may bemore familiar to most people is on products available for purchase invarious stores. Each product is labeled with, for example, a bar codewhich identifies the product and allows the store to associate a pricewith the product. Thus, when the store scans the product, the price isautomatically entered into the cash register.

One problem with many existing glyphs and/or barcodes is that they arebased on the binary or decimal numeric systems. This limits the amountof data that can be stored in a glyph or barcode per unit area of glyphor barcode. Because barcodes and glyphs are being used in more and moreapplications to store larger amounts of data, it would be desirable tohave a glyph that can store a greater amount of data per unit area thanis possible with existing glyphs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a data glyph and method, system, andcomputer program product for creating and reading the data glyph. In oneembodiment the data glyph is created by combining individual glyphelements, wherein each glyph element is selected from a list of glyphelements corresponding to one of each of the hexadecimal numerals 0, 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Each glyph element ismade from darkening a unique subset of cells from an array of allowablecells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of a data processing system,scanner, and printer in which the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system in which thepresent invention may be implemented;

FIG. 3 illustrates the six cells which may be darkened or left blank inorder to create a Hex-A-Braille glyph according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 depicts a table illustrating the relationship between ahexadecimal numeral and a Hex-A-Braille glyph;

FIG. 5 depicts a comparison of a binary glyph and a Hex-A-Braille glyphrepresentations of the same message;

FIG. 6 depicts a process flow and program function for generating aHex-A-Braille glyph in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 depicts a process flow and program function for reading aHex-A-Braille glyph in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 8A-8D depict tables illustrating mapping of ASCII characters toHex-A-Braille format according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the figures, and in particular with reference toFIG. 1, a pictorial representation depicts a data processing system,scanner, and printer in which the present invention may be implementedin accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Apersonal computer 100 is depicted which includes a system unit 110, avideo display terminal 102, a keyboard 104, storage devices 108, whichmay include floppy drives and other types of permanent and removablestorage media, and a pointing device 106, such as a mouse. A scanner 126is also connected to computer 100 to scan glyphs 130. Computer 100 mayalso be connected to a network or Internet and receive software glyphsthrough, for example, a browser. Additional input devices may beincluded with personal computer 100, as will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art.

Computer 100 may also be utilized to create glyphs. Glyphs created bycomputer 100 may be displayed on a video display terminal 102, sent toanother computer, stored as software, or printed on printer 120 which isconnected to computer 100. The glyphs of the present invention aredescribed in more detail below.

The personal computer 100 can be implemented using any suitablecomputer. Although the depicted representation shows a personalcomputer, other embodiments of the present invention may be implementedin other types of data processing systems, such as mainframes,workstations, network computers, Internet appliances, palm computers,etc. Furthermore, although scanner 126 is depicted as a handheldscanner, other types of scanners may be utilized as well.

The system unit 110 comprises memory, a central processing unit, one ormore I/O units, and the like. However, in the present invention, thesystem unit 110 preferably contains a speculative processor, either asthe central processing unit (CPU) or as one of multiple CPUs present inthe system unit.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data processingsystem in which the present invention may be implemented is illustrated.Data processing system 200 is an example of a data processing systemthat may be implemented as, for example, computer 100 in FIG. 1. Dataprocessing system 200 employs a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)local bus architecture. Although the depicted example employs a PCI bus,other bus architectures, such as Micro Channel and ISA, may be used.Processor 202 and main memory 204 are connected to PCI local bus 206through PCI bridge 208. PCI bridge 208 may also include an integratedmemory controller and cache memory for processor 202. Additionalconnections to PCI local bus 206 may be made through direct componentinterconnection or through add-in boards. In the depicted example, localarea network (LAN) adapter 210, SCSI host bus adapter 212, and expansionbus interface 214 are connected to PCI local bus 206 by direct componentconnection. In contrast, audio adapter 216, graphics adapter 218, andaudio/video adapter (A/V) 219 are connected to PCI local bus 206 byadd-in boards inserted into expansion slots. Expansion bus interface 214provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter 220, modem 222,and additional memory 224. In the depicted example, a SCSI host busadapter 212 provides a connection for hard disk drive 226, tape drive228, CD-ROM drive 230, and digital video disc read only memory drive(DVD-ROM) 232. Typical PCI local bus implementations will support threeor four PCI expansion slots or add-in connectors.

An operating system runs on processor 202 and is used to coordinate andprovide control of various components within data processing system 200in FIG. 2. The operating system may be a commercially availableoperating system, such as Windows XP, which is available from MicrosoftCorporation of Redmond, Wash. “Windows XP” is a trademark of MicrosoftCorporation. An object oriented programming system, such as Java, mayrun in conjunction with the operating system, providing calls to theoperating system from Java programs or applications executing on dataprocessing system 200. Instructions for the operating system, theobject-oriented programming system, and applications or programs arelocated on a storage device, such as hard disk drive 226, and may beloaded into main memory 204 for execution by processor 202. Theapplications may include instructions for generating, translating,and/or reading Hex-A-Braille Glyphs in accordance with the presentinvention.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware inFIG. 2 may vary depending on the implementation. For example, otherperipheral devices, such as optical disk drives and the like, may beused in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIG. 2. Thedepicted example is not meant to imply architectural limitations withrespect to the present invention. For example, the processes of thepresent invention may be applied to multiprocessor data processingsystems.

With reference now to FIGS. 3 and 4, FIG. 3 illustrates the six cellswhich may be darkened or left blank in order to create a Hex-A-BrailleGlyph according to the present invention and FIG. 4 provides a tableillustrating the relationship between a hexadecimal numeral and aHex-A-Braille Glyph.

In order to create a glyph that offers a higher capacity for storinginformation per unit area than a barcode or glyph based on the binary(base-2) or decimal (base 10) systems, a hexadecimal (base-16) system isselected. For example, the letter “e” in the ASCII character set ischaracter number 101 (Base 10). 101 (Base 10) is equal to 01100101 (Base2), which is eight digits long. 101 (Base 10) is also equal to 65 (Base16), which is just two digits long. Thus, the hexadecimal system offersan improvement in capacity over both the decimal and binary-basedsystems because it requires fewer digits to represent the same dataelement.

The next part of the solution is to map the elements of the hexadecimalsystem to unique machine readable visual patterns. Each pattern shouldbe based on the same structure and that structure should be as compactas possible. The Base 2 or binary system can be easily represented by avariety of patterns, such as, for example forward slashes andbackslashes (/ and \). The decimal (Base 10) and hexadecimal (Base 16)are more challenging to represent because their systems contain moreunique elements (ten and sixteen respectively) that need to bepatterned. This challenge is met by using a visual pattern based on theBraille system. Thus, the name of the glyph of the present invention,Hex-A-Braille.

Hex-A-Braille may be used to represent both the process of creating theglyph and the resulting glyph. The Hex-A-Braille Process is the processof mapping hexadecimal data into a visual representation or pattern in aHex-A-Braille Glyph. The glyph may exist in various mediums: hard copyprint, soft copy files, or onscreen displays, etc. Because it is basedin the hexadecimal system, it is easily understandable and allows forinclusion of sophisticated features such as encryption, compression,error checking and more.

The Hex-A-Braille Glyph 300 is composed of six cells 301-306 arranged ina three row by two column format as shown in FIG. 3. The linesdelineating the cells 301-306 are there for illustration and readabilityonly. These lines are not part of the Hex-A-Braille Glyph 300 structure.Each of the six cells 301-306 in the glyph 300 is of equal size and iscomprised of one or more addressable units, which is determined byvarious factors such as the intended application or use; medium wherethe glyph 300 will exist; and the resolution of the devices used to bothcreate and read the resulting glyph 300 structure. In the depictedexample (FIG. 3), each of cells 301-306 has four addressable units percell. Because the cell 301-306 size and thus resulting glyph 300 sizemay vary from application to application, so will the amount of datathat can be stored in any given area. The amount of data that can be“stored” in a given area is inversely proportional to the size of theglyph 300. As the cell 301-306 and thus glyph 300 size increases, thecapacity per area or density decreases, and vise-versa. Maximum densityis reached when each Hex-A-Braille Glyph 300 is comprised of cells301-306 equaling one unit of measure, which represents the lowestaddressable space for a given medium, for example a single pixel of avideo display unit, or a single dot on a printed piece of paper.

No value is assigned to any of the six individual cells 301-306 makingup the glyph 300. It is the resulting pattern produced by the collectivecombination of cells 301-306, which holds value. The pattern formed bythe shaded cells 301-306 of the Hex-A-Braille Glyph is representative ofthe Braille pattern for the respective numbers/characters making up theHexadecimal (Base 16) numeric system. The table depicted in FIG. 4illustrates the relationship between the Hexadecimal values (0-15)represented by the Hexadecimal numbers/characters (0-F) and the BrailleSystem. The chart also depicts the corresponding Hex-A-Braille Glyph inthe bottom row.

The Hex-A-Braille format is superior to simple two dimensional barcodesin the amount of data that can be stored and in the number of distinctcharacters that can be represented within the data marking.Additionally, the Hex-A-Braille format offers benefits over binary-baseddata glyph formats such as the competing binary format illustratedbelow.

Consider the following text message: “Hello World”. The decimal ASCIIvalues for this message (including the space between “Hello” and“World”) are 72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 032, 087, 111, 114, 108, and 100.The binary ASCII values for this message are 01001000, 01100101,01101100, 01101100, 01101111, 00100000, 01010111, 01101111, 01110010,01101100, 01100100. The Hexadecimal ASCII Values for the same messageare 48, 65, 6C, 6C, 6F, 20, 57, 6F, 72, 6C, and 64. It is clear justfrom looking at the resulting number of characters needed to representthe message that the Hexadecimal system represents a significantincrease in data density over the decimal system and a far superior datadensity over the binary system. Referring to FIG. 5, a binary glyph 502representing the message “Hello World” is presented along with aHex-A-Braille Glyph 504 of the same message using the similar font sizefor both glyphs. This comparison makes an even more striking statementas to the superiority of the Hex-A-Braille Glyph over prior art glyphssuch as binary glyph 502. Thus, the Hex-A-Braille image requires fewercharacters and thus offers a higher density form factor.

Much like barcodes and other glyphs the Hex-A-Braille Glyph of thepresent invention provides a means for machines to communicate with oneanother through the visual patterns of the glyph. While glyphs andbarcodes are similar in nature, a glyph is typically far moresophisticated. The Hex-A-Braille Glyph can be used like a simple barcodeor for more complex applications, such as, for example, providingin-line, real-time finishing instructions to a copier or printer as theoriginal document is created, providing a means of re-creating an entiredocument based on a small glyph placed on the document itself, using theHex-A-Braille Glyph to load entire programs into a device capable ofreading the glyph. Furthermore, the Hex-A-Braille Glyph could bedisplayed as a graphic or part of a graphic on a web page. The browsercould then interpret the glyph and act accordingly. The Hex-A-BrailleGlyph also provides some security against prying eyes since data in aglyph is easily readable by machines but masked to the users.

Applications for the Hex-A-Braille Glyph are really somewhat limitless.Any data elements may be encoded into a glyph, which can be stored orrepresented in a variety of mediums. These glyphs can then be read by avariety of devices for a variety of purposes. The Hex-A-Braille Glyphoffers a potential 4× capacity improvement over binary-based glyphs. The6 cell (3 row×2 column) format of the Hex-A-Braille Glyph is alsoexpected to offer additional capacity over other existing glyph basedupon a larger footprint.

The Hex-A-Braille Glyphs illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 are provided asexamples of a Hex-A-Braille Glyph. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that many modifications to the glyph of the present inventionmay be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentinvention. For example, rather than having a 2-column by 3-row glyph,the glyph could be placed on its side as a 3-column, 2-row glyph.Furthermore, other schemes for uniquely mapping a hexadecimal numeral tothe Hex-A-Braille Glyph other than that provided by the Braille systemmay be utilized.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a process flow and program function forgenerating a Hex-A-Braille Glyph is depicted in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. This process may be implemented,for example, as a set of computer readable instructions executed withina data processing system, such as data processing system 200 depicted inFIG. 2. To begin, data to be put into a Hex-A-Braille Glyph is received(step 602). The data to be put into a Hex-A-Braille Glyph may be anyinformation desired for the particular application. For example, thedata may be text, computer code, or inventory numbers for a productwhich may be in raw, compressed and/or encrypted format. Next, each dataelement representing the information desired to be represented as aHex-A-Braille Glyph is converted into a hexadecimal format (step 604).The Hex-A-Braille image for each hexadecimal half byte of data isdetermined (step 606) by mapping each hexadecimal character to a uniqueset of darkened cells within a matrix of cells. A Hex-A-Braille Glyph ofthe information is then created by combining, in the proper order, theindividual Hex-A-Braille images for each hexadecimal character (step608). The resulting Hex-A-Braille Glyph is then output to an appropriateoutput medium, such as, for example, printed onto paper, stored insoftware, or displayed on a video display terminal (step 610).

With reference now to FIG. 7, a process flow and program function forreading a Hex-A-Braille Glyph is depicted in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. This process, as with that depictedin FIG. 6, may be implemented, for example, as a set of computerreadable instructions executed within a data processing system, such asdata processing system 200 depicted in FIG. 2. To begin, a Hex-A-BrailleGlyph is read (step 702). This may be performed, for example, byscanning an image of a Hex-A-Braille Glyph on a physical object or bydecoding a Hex-A-Braille image within a web page displayed in a webbrowser. The Hexadecimal value of each Hex-A-Braille image is determined(step 704). Each pair of hexadecimal values is converted into a dataelement in a computer useable format (step 706) and the function(s)specified by the glyph and associated glyph reading software areperformed (step 708). For example, the Hex-A-Braille Glyph may simply bea Universal Product Code (UPC) which is used by software in the readingcomputer to lookup, for example, pricing information corresponding tothe UPC in a database of UPCs and associated prices.

In other examples, in a manufacturing context, glyphs could be printedon part labels or packaging materials. These glyphs could then be readby machines on a plant floor assembly line. The machine could then reactbased on the data or instructions contained within the glyph. In anoffice context, scanners, faxes, copiers, printers, multifunctiondevices, and other similar devices could be designed to interact withglyphs. In other examples of uses of Hex-A-Braille Glyphs, computerhardware and software can be developed to create, read and react toglyphs or other devices via such glyphs. For example, PCs could downloadprograms from a document or web page in the format of a glyph.

In the security, banking, and finance areas, identification (ID) cards,smart cards, credit cards, and the like could have data encoded in aglyph which could be read and interpreted by a glyph reader. A photocould actually be encoded into a glyph rather than displayed in plainsite. Readers could be used to display the photos to confirm identity.Furthermore, any existing barcode application could be replaced withmore sophisticated Hex-A-Braille Glyphs.

FIGS. 8A-8D depict tables illustrating mapping of ASCII characters toHex-A-Braille format according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other mappingtables are possible that will also result in a mapping of an ASCIIcharacter to a unique Hex-A-Braille Glyph not shared by any other ASCIIcharacter. Additional data mappings such as Unicode to Hex-A-Braille arealso possible. Also note that characters which are typicallynonprintable such as ASCII character zero (null) are now given a visualrepresentation with Hex-A-Braille.

It is important to note that while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of a fully functioning data processing system,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes ofthe present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of acomputer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and thatthe present invention applies equally regardless of the particular typeof signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution.Examples of computer readable media include recordable-type media such afloppy disc, a hard disk drive, RAM, and CD-ROMs and transmission-typemedia such as digital and analog communications links.

The description of the present invention has been presented for purposesof illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention, the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A method for creating a data glyph, the method comprising: receivinginformation to be encoded into the data glyph; converting charactersrepresenting the information into corresponding hexadecimal characters;determining a glyph character for each hexadecimal character whereineach different hexadecimal character is represented by a unique glyphcharacter; arranging the individual glyph characters to produce a dataglyph.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each glyph charactercomprises a unique arrangement of unit cells within an array ofallowable cell locations.
 3. The method as recited in claim 2, whereinthe array of allowable cell locations comprises a two column by threerow array of allowable cell locations.
 4. The method as recited in claim2, wherein the array of allowable cell locations comprises a threecolumn by two row array of allowable cell locations
 5. A method fordeciphering information in a data glyph, the method comprising:receiving an image of a data glyph; determining individual glyph unitscomprising the data glyph; and determining a corresponding hexadecimalvalue for each glyph unit.
 6. The method as recited in claim 5, furthercomprising: performing a function appropriate for the information asdeciphered from the data glyph.
 7. The method as recited in claim 5,further comprising: translating the hexadecimal values intocorresponding data elements.
 8. The method as recited in claim 7,further comprising: presenting the data elements to a user.
 9. Themethod as recited in claim 6, wherein the function comprises one ofinstructing a machine in a manufacturing process to perform a task andinstructing an office machine to perform a task.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 9, wherein the office machine is one of a scanner,copier, facsimile machine, data processing system, and printer.
 11. Themethod as recited in claim 6, wherein the information contained in thedata glyph are instructions for reconstructing a document.
 12. Themethod as recited in claim 6, wherein the information contained in thedata glyph are instructions for reconstructing a picture.
 13. The methodas recited in claim 12, wherein the data glyph is depicted on one of asmart card, identification card, and a credit card and the data glyphencodes a picture of a user that may be recreated by a data processingsystem to compare with a master picture for security purposes, whereinthe picture represented by the data glyph is not apparent to an unaidedobserver.
 14. A computer program product in a computer readable mediafor use in a data processing system for creating a data glyph, thecomputer program product comprising: first instructions for receivinginformation to be encoded into the data glyph; second instructions forconverting characters representing the information into correspondinghexadecimal characters; third instructions for determining a glyphcharacter for each hexadecimal character wherein each differenthexadecimal character is represented by a unique glyph character; fourthinstructions for arranging the individual glyph characters to produce adata glyph.
 15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14,wherein each glyph character comprises a unique arrangement of unitcells within an array of allowable cell locations.
 16. The computerprogram product as recited in claim 15, wherein the array of allowablecell locations comprises a two column by three row array of allowablecell locations.
 17. The computer program product as recited in claim 15,wherein the array of allowable cell locations comprises a three columnby two row array of allowable cell locations
 18. A computer programproduct in a computer readable media for use in a data processing systemfor deciphering information in a data glyph, the computer programproduct comprising: first instructions for receiving an image of a dataglyph; second instructions for determining individual glyph unitscomprising the data glyph; and third instructions for determining acorresponding hexadecimal value for each glyph unit.
 19. The computerprogram product as recited in claim 18, further comprising: fourthinstructions for performing a function appropriate for the informationas deciphered from the data glyph.
 20. The computer program product asrecited in claim 18, further comprising: fourth instructions fortranslating the hexadecimal values into corresponding data elements. 21.The computer program product as recited in claim 20, further comprising:fifth instructions for presenting the data elements to a user.
 22. Thecomputer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the functioncomprises one of instructing a machine in a manufacturing process toperform a task and instructing an office machine to perform a task. 23.The computer program product as recited in claim 22, wherein the officemachine is one of a scanner, copier, facsimile machine, data processingsystem, and printer.
 24. The computer program product as recited inclaim 18, wherein the information contained in the data glyph areinstructions for reconstructing a document.
 25. The computer programproduct as recited in claim 18, wherein the information contained in thedata glyph are instructions for reconstructing a picture.
 26. Thecomputer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the data glyphis depicted on one of a smart card, identification card, and a creditcard and the data glyph encodes a picture of a user that may berecreated by a data processing system to compare with a master picturefor security purposes, wherein the picture represented by the data glyphis not apparent to an unaided observer.
 27. A system in a computerreadable media for use in a data processing system for creating a dataglyph, the system comprising: first means for receiving information tobe encoded into the data glyph; second means for converting charactersrepresenting the information into corresponding hexadecimal characters;third means for determining a glyph character for each hexadecimalcharacter wherein each different hexadecimal character is represented bya unique glyph character; fourth means for arranging the individualglyph characters to produce a data glyph.
 28. The system as recited inclaim 27, wherein each glyph character comprises a unique arrangement ofunit cells within an array of allowable cell locations.
 29. The systemas recited in claim 28, wherein the array of allowable cell locationscomprises a two column by three row array of allowable cell locations.30. The system as recited in claim 28, wherein the array of allowablecell locations comprises a three column by two row array of allowablecell locations
 31. A system in a computer readable media for use in adata processing system for deciphering information in a data glyph, thesystem comprising: first means for receiving an image of a data glyph;second means for determining individual glyph units comprising the dataglyph; and third means for determining a corresponding hexadecimal valuefor each glyph unit.
 32. The system as recited in claim 31, furthercomprising: fourth means for performing a function appropriate for theinformation as deciphered from the data glyph.
 33. The system as recitedin claim 31, further comprising: fourth means for translating thehexadecimal values into corresponding data elements.
 34. The system asrecited in claim 33, further comprising: fifth means for presenting thedata elements to a user.
 35. The system as recited in claim 32, whereinthe function comprises one of instructing a machine in a manufacturingprocess to perform a task and instructing an office machine to perform atask.
 36. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the office machineis one of a scanner, copier, facsimile machine, data processing system,and printer.
 37. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein theinformation contained in the data glyph are means for reconstructing adocument.
 38. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein the informationcontained in the data glyph are means for reconstructing a picture. 39.The system as recited in claim 38, wherein the data glyph is depicted onone of a smart card, identification card, and a credit card and the dataglyph encodes a picture of a user that may be recreated by a dataprocessing system to compare with a master picture for securitypurposes, wherein the picture represented by the data glyph is notapparent to an unaided observer.
 40. A data glyph, comprising: a firstglyph character; and a second glyph character; wherein each of the firstand second glyph characters is selected from one of sixteen possibleglyph characters wherein each of the sixteen possible glyph charactersrepresents a unique hexadecimal numeral.
 41. The data glyph as recitedin claim 40, wherein each possible glyph character is created bypresenting a selected subset of cells from within an array of allowablecells.
 42. The data glyph as recited in claim 41, wherein the array ofallowable cells is a two column by three row array of cells.
 43. Thedata glyph as recited in claim 41, wherein the array of allowable cellsis a three column by two row array of cells.
 44. The data glyph asrecited in claim 41, wherein presenting the selected subset of cellscomprises presenting the subset of cells in a contrasting color from abackground color and presenting unselected cells in the backgroundcolor.